Oil is Oil, right?

By7016230346

•

13 Feb, 2017

•

How important is it to use the correct oil in your car?

There was a time way
back when automobile engines called for a straight 30w oil that the euphemism
“Oil is Oil" had some validity. In those days engines were markedly
simpler and internal tolerances were much greater than today's engines.
Today's engines have very tight tolerances; the clearance between
parts like bearing surfaces is less than half what it was 30 years ago.
Most vehicles manufactured in the last ten years have variable valve timing. These engines have small passages in the
engine block (that sludge easily) which supply oil pressure to the mechanism
that uses oil pressure controlled by your car's computer to control valve
timing. It's a great stride forward in making engines run well, more
efficiently and with much more power. The downside to these
improvements is they require engine oil to withstand higher temperatures
and have much greater lubricity with a very thin film of oil.

What does this all
mean? It means engine oil must perform
better under much more extreme conditions! If it doesn't, engine wear increases
and engine failures result. It
means that with the proper engine oil and appropriate change intervals, your
engine can easily last 200,000 – 300,000 miles, or you might have problems with
sludging and failures at less than 100,000 miles with poor quality oil and
over-due oil changes.

There is a lot to
consider when choosing engine oil. We here at DAVCO Performance go to great
lengths to choose the best oil for your car and carry it in stock. Not just for
your engine either but for your transmission, differential and transfer case to
name some others. I personally
review the oils we stock, matching them to your vehicle manufacturer's
recommendations along with the current API and ILSAC standards (American
Petroleum institute and International Lubricant Standardization and Approval
Committee.) The current API standards
are SN, and ILSAC is GF5. You can find these designations on oil that
meets their standards (usually on the back of the bottle). This is
important to look for when shopping for oil; however, in truth most oils sold
today meet those standards. SO WAIT! Is "Oil is Oil "not then still
true? I mean there IS a standard that most oils meet???... Yes! But, not
all!

AND THAT'S THE LOW END OF THE SCALE!You see oil can just meet the standards or it can exceed the
standards! This is very important to know particularly when choosing oil
that will give your engine the most protection over its
lifetime. Using an oil that exceeds the standards or has properties
& additive package that's best tailored to your car is vitally
important. Knowing how much sulfur, phosphorous and ash content that's in
the oil helps balance the lubrication characteristics with how well that oil
will treat costly components like your catalytic converter and O2 sensors.
Catalytic converters are a costly item to replace if you don't change your oil
frequently enough or your oil is high in things like sulfur and phosphorous
that bind to the catalyst in your converter causing it to slowly degrade and
eventually fail.

Here at
DAVCO you can rest assured that we chose oil appropriate for your car!
Even our basic semi-synthetic oil is very high quality oil at a budget
friendly price, currently $22.95 (up to 5 quarts, most cars) with coupon found
on our website!

I have chosen it carefully as it is appropriate for many cars!

Keep in mind; we do our homework here so you don't have to! We choose our
products based on many factors not just price to give you, our valued customer
the best service at the lowest cost!
Thanks for listening! We here at DAVCO
look
forward to serving you in the future!

Davco Performance Automotive Blog

There was a time way
back when automobile engines called for a straight 30w oil that the euphemism
“Oil is Oil" had some validity. In those days engines were markedly
simpler and internal tolerances were much greater than today's engines.
Today's engines have very tight tolerances; the clearance between
parts like bearing surfaces is less than half what it was 30 years ago.
Most vehicles manufactured in the last ten years have variable valve timing. These engines have small passages in the
engine block (that sludge easily) which supply oil pressure to the mechanism
that uses oil pressure controlled by your car's computer to control valve
timing. It's a great stride forward in making engines run well, more
efficiently and with much more power. The downside to these
improvements is they require engine oil to withstand higher temperatures
and have much greater lubricity with a very thin film of oil.

What does this all
mean? It means engine oil must perform
better under much more extreme conditions! If it doesn't, engine wear increases
and engine failures result. It
means that with the proper engine oil and appropriate change intervals, your
engine can easily last 200,000 – 300,000 miles, or you might have problems with
sludging and failures at less than 100,000 miles with poor quality oil and
over-due oil changes.

There is a lot to
consider when choosing engine oil. We here at DAVCO Performance go to great
lengths to choose the best oil for your car and carry it in stock. Not just for
your engine either but for your transmission, differential and transfer case to
name some others. I personally
review the oils we stock, matching them to your vehicle manufacturer's
recommendations along with the current API and ILSAC standards (American
Petroleum institute and International Lubricant Standardization and Approval
Committee.) The current API standards
are SN, and ILSAC is GF5. You can find these designations on oil that
meets their standards (usually on the back of the bottle). This is
important to look for when shopping for oil; however, in truth most oils sold
today meet those standards. SO WAIT! Is "Oil is Oil "not then still
true? I mean there IS a standard that most oils meet???... Yes! But, not
all!

AND THAT'S THE LOW END OF THE SCALE!You see oil can just meet the standards or it can exceed the
standards! This is very important to know particularly when choosing oil
that will give your engine the most protection over its
lifetime. Using an oil that exceeds the standards or has properties
& additive package that's best tailored to your car is vitally
important. Knowing how much sulfur, phosphorous and ash content that's in
the oil helps balance the lubrication characteristics with how well that oil
will treat costly components like your catalytic converter and O2 sensors.
Catalytic converters are a costly item to replace if you don't change your oil
frequently enough or your oil is high in things like sulfur and phosphorous
that bind to the catalyst in your converter causing it to slowly degrade and
eventually fail.

Here at
DAVCO you can rest assured that we chose oil appropriate for your car!
Even our basic semi-synthetic oil is very high quality oil at a budget
friendly price, currently $22.95 (up to 5 quarts, most cars) with coupon found
on our website!

I have chosen it carefully as it is appropriate for many cars!

Keep in mind; we do our homework here so you don't have to! We choose our
products based on many factors not just price to give you, our valued customer
the best service at the lowest cost!
Thanks for listening! We here at DAVCO
look
forward to serving you in the future!

So your "Check Engine" or "Service Engine
Soon" light is on? What to do?

I recently fielded a call from a car owner asking “how much
was a smoke test?" Hmm, I thought “why?” So, I asked him why he felt
he needed a "smoke test.” He responded explaining his check engine light
was on, and he brought it to the parts store, they scanned it and told him that
he needed a smoke test! Further, he would need either a charcoal
canister or a vent valve.

Hmm, we hear this sort of thing a lot. ‘Diagnosis by trouble code,’ I call it. Great
way to sell parts, but the wrong way to repair cars!
Often I get these
inquiries after the person has replaced the charcoal canister and vent valve
and the light returned again after a few days.So let's clear this up!

The check engine light illuminates when you have a problem that affects your
vehicles emissions system. There are dozens of trouble codes that will cause
the check engine light to come on! Many more will not. They will be stored
in the computer memory of one or more of the modules that control your vehicle,
yet some will not even turn the light on because they are unrelated
to emissions.Many ‘part store scan tools’ record only the most recent codes and, little if
any other important information.

Simply a trouble code is not a diagnosis of a problem.
Better, to
think of it as a "road sign"
pointing you in a direction
toward your destination.

In this person's case, he had a code that indicated a problem with the
evaporative emissions system. Which in some cases requires replacing a ‘charcoal
canister or vent valve’ but, it could also be many other things as well.

A ‘smoke test’ is a quasi-technical term for testing the evaporative system for
a leak (allowing fuel fumes to escape into the outside air.)However, one doesn't jump into a ‘smoke test’ which takes time and can lead you
down a "rabbit hole" without first performing some preliminary
tests that rule out other causes that might initially seem to require a
"’smoke test.’
Very often the
problem is actually component related or a wiring problem.Often a ‘smoke test’ will reveal nothing when testing the charcoal canister
because the smoke is absorbed by the charcoal giving a false negative result.

As I stated earlier, we see many people come to us after they have spent
hundreds of dollars chasing a problem by installing parts that were in question
because of a trouble code that led in that direction. Admittedly, some get lucky and land on the right part early on. Most spend
money needlessly only to find out it was something much simpler than they
thought, like a lose connection, cracked hose or other minor item needing
replacement.

We would recommend leak testing the evap system based
on some preliminary tests and evaluations that include scanning for codes
but we also look at many other factors together, which help us evaluate
and determine your problem quickly and accurately, usually in an hour or less.Our equipment and knowledge is what makes the difference. Then if you need a ‘smoke
test’ we move to that.

To sum it all up, we applaud those ‘do-it-yourselfers’ trying to save
themselves some money. When it comes to a ‘check engine light’ you really are
better off bringing it to the professionals.

We perform free scans and we are ASE certified technicians with many years of
experience repairing just these sorts of problems.Save your money have it professionally diagnosed and get the problem fixed
right the first time every time, guaranteed!We offer a FREE
basic scan for trouble codes! So what do
you have to lose
, but a few minutes of your time to stop by and have it checked?Give us a call or stop in! We are here to help!

So you've been hearing something different with your car. A noise maybe a clunking over bumps, maybe a squeal when you start it in the morning.

All common signs of a problem or maybe its nothing to be concerned about. Well, there is only one way to find out! Bring your car to a professional and have it checked. You hesitate, you hate bringing your car to a mechanic. They charge too much and you can never tell if they are ripping you off, right?

We hear that nearly everyday. No one likes to spend money on their car! We get it!
Especially if you feel you can't afford it right now.

It's the middle of winter and, you just hope and pray you make it through a few more weeks until your tax refund comes back.Spring is just a few months away!

We get it. We've been there too! Problem is waiting will likely cost you more if you have a needed repair!

Did you know the average ball-joint is $150 installed? But, If you wait and that CLUNKING OVER BUMPS continues until the joint breaks, it will cost you more, much more! On average about $1100
. Then you may need a ball joint, control arm, tie-rod, steel brake line, caliper, spindle, even a fender or fenderwell are common results! Not to mention, the SCARE
of your life when the front wheel buckles under the car and you lose your steering!

Don't wait Save your money get it fixed now!

We are here to help. We are expert at determining what's making the noise and fixing it correctly the first time! Saving you money and giving you peace of mind with our 2yr 24,000 mile nation wide warranty. We offer extended credit terms through NAPA's EASY PAY PLAN! No interest if paid in full within 6months!

So you need not shell out anything today! With approval on the NAPA easy pay plan you can wait for your tax refund and pay it off when that comes in! Note: minimum monthly payments are required. See us for details!

So don't put it off any longer get it done now! Have it checked, maybe it's nothing to worry about or a simple inexpensive repair!Bring it to the professionals that know and care at Davco Performance!

I want to take this opportunity to welcome you to Davco
Performance Automotive
. Here at Davco,
we take very seriously your satisfaction and safety when we repair your
vehicle. With over seventy years of
combined service experiences, we have the knowledge and expertise to repair
your car right the first time, quickly and safely.

We believe in going the extra mile for our customers, so we
take the time to thoroughly explain what we are doing and why, and we do this with
the integrity and honesty you deserve!
We do all this for a fair and reasonable price. We offer specials and discounts that you will
find right here on our website or on our Facebook page.

The purpose of this blog will be to help you stay informed
on the best ways to keep your car running well and efficiently. We stress maintenance, which will save you
large amounts of time and money through the life of your car.

One of the biggest enemies of your car is the harsh Central
New York winters. As long time Central
New Yorkers ourselves, we know how to care for your car to protect it against
CNY harsh elements. Going forward, I
will present tips and advice on how to best care and prepare your car for each
driving season.

We are now currently in the middle of winter and hopefully,
despite how warm it has been lately, you have good snow or all-season tires
already on your vehicle. If not, we can
help. We offer new tires at very
competitive pricing. We even store your
off-season tires for free!

Cold weather is very hard on your car’s battery, causing
extra draw and strain on a weak battery, which can result in your vehicle not
starting when you need it most. We offer
free battery tests to determine if your battery is up to the task, presented by
Central New York winters. Come see us
for your free battery check. Mention
that you saw it on this blog, and we will test your charging system as well for
free! During the months of January and
February, if you purchase a new battery, you will get up to a $20 Visa Prepaid
Card, which is good anywhere that takes Visa cards.

Look here in the future for other tips and recommendations
on how best to glide through the rest of winter! If you have a question or a topic you would
like addressed, click on the “contact us” tab on the home page and we will do
our best to answer you quickly and/or include it here in our future blog
postings.

Again, thank you for considering Davco. We look forward to assisting you in the
future!

315-422-1100

Contact Us Today

When you're looking for the best auto repair and maintenance services in Syracuse, NY and the surrounding areas, call Linda at Davco Performance Automotive, a child-friendly, family owned and operated business. Our professionals have over 40 years of experience.

Don't forget to ask about our special deals on oil changes. We offer interest-free financing options as well as NAPA AutoCare EasyPay - No interest if paid in full within 6 months.